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Tuesday, March 30, 2010

2010 Post-Combine NFL Mock Draft v1 - Round 1

Everyday it's looking more like the Rams are going to take Sam Bradford at the top of the draft, and after his workout, you can hardly blame them. The problem is that you are talking about drafting a guy who now has a history of injury problems and are going to put him behind a porous offensive line. They are a couple of picks away from a very good defense, and they should stay on that track. There will be QB's who will improve their team available later.

Suh is the best player in this draft. In my opinion, Eric Berry and Dez Bryant were the only other 2 who impacted a game like he did. Put him on the line beside Chris Long and you just made life difficult for the opposing O-Line which goes a long way toward having a true strength on your football team.

And let's be real. You have to have a strength at some portion of your team that is better than what the opponent puts in front of them if you ever want to win in this league.

The Lions have made some moves to shore up their D-Line but McCoy can be a dominant force at DT. Putting him beside Sammy Hill with Vanden Bosch on the edge is one hell of a D-Line. For the logic behind this, please see the third paragraph of pick 1.

The Buccaneers have needs all over the field, and Berry is the best player on the board. He is good enough to take over either starting position at safety for the Bucs when he walks in the door. Now that I'm thinking about it, he could probably start at linebacker, running back, or wide receiver too.

As has been noted previously, the Skins offensive line is old and is crumbling fast. They need a cornerstone tackle to replace Chris Samuels right now. Okung was rated at the top of the board by some last year, and then he stayed. He should start from day one for the Skins.

I love the moves that the Chiefs have made to shore up their O-Line this off season. 2 new starters on the interior of the O-Line was huge for them. However, they cannot have Ryan O'Callahan starting at tackle if they want to throw the ball at all. Trent Williams has been the best player on an outstanding O-Line for the Sooners, playing up and down the line. His talent and flexiblity give the Chiefs what they need now and moving forward.

The Seahwaks have got to have a lead tackle. Their line has been disentegrating since they went to the Super Bowl a few years back. Bulaga proved that he can stand up to premier D-End talents when he shut down Derrick Morgan. He can play either Tackle position and has the potential to be a long-term starter.

The Browns have the O-Line pieces in place, but have not been able to find a consistent answer at QB. Bradford has the potential to be a franchise QB, if he can stay healthy. If they can put Bradford behind center, his accuracy will make the most of the meager skill position weapons that they have. They will need to get him another wideout and/or tight end later in the draft, preferrably someone with good deep speed.

The Raiders are a hair away from putting a dangerously good defense on the field. Joe Haden would give them a bookend corner for Asomugha. With the pressure they can bring with their front 7 and these 2 at corner, they might not need to average 15 points a game to make the playoffs.

The Bills need a starting tackle. Anthony Davis may be better suited to right tackle than left after playing in a run based offense at Rutgers, but he is definitely an NFL talent. If he can develop his pass blocking, to go with his road grader run blocking, the Bills will have a cornerstone.

The Jags are solid around the field but need some difference makers. McClain was a standout on one of the premier defenses in the country. He is tough and talented, and just the kind of MLB the Jags could use to lead their young defense.

The Broncos want to run more multi receiver sets, but really need a second outside receiver. This is especially true with the potential departure of Brandon Marshall. Marshall, Bryant, and Royal would be as good a set of 3 receivers as you are going to see in this league. Possibly good enough to hide the lack of talent at the QB position. If they can find a taker for Marshall, then bringing in a premier athlete at WR becomes even more key.

Sergio Kindle is a beast who bounced back and forth between OLB and DE for the Longhorn defense. He made plays despite constant double teams. He is not LT, but is probably as close as Parcells is going to find in this draft and with Porter in Arizona and Jason Taylor on the way out due to age, the Fins need a new OLB right now.

The 49ers are running a 3-4 and Nosetackles are key. Cody is a monstrous DT who is deceptively athletic. The second coming of the Refridgerator, it is just too perfect for him to join Singletary in San Fran.

The Seahawks need weapons, and CJ Spiller is the definition of the word. He can score running, receiving, and returning like noone else in this draft. He locked up his spot as the best back in this draft by running a sub 4.4 at the combine. This is the kind of player that causes problems, which is what they are sorely lacking in the northwest.

The Giants are great on paper, but Gresham is a rare player at tight end. Without his injury, he is a top 5 talent. I haven't heard anything negative about his recovery, and he would be an instant upgrade for the Giants, who would have then gone, in 2 drafts, from worries about who is going to catch the ball, to loaded at the receiving skill positions.

Morgan is one of the top 2 defensive ends in this draft and has less injury history than Carlos Dunlap. He has good size and can rush the passer, and the Titans' cupboard is care along the D-Line. He can't do it all, but he is a potential replacement for VanDen Bosch.

Tate is the closest to NFL-ready wide receiver in this draft. He has great deep speed, catches the ball well, and is better than some running backs with the ball in his hands. The only reason he is not the best receiver in this draft is.....Dez Bryant. Pairing him with Michael Crabtree will make a huge difference for the niner offense.

The Steelers lack of depth in the secondary was exposed last year. Polamalu is a stud, and when he is in, he erases a lot of their shortcomings. However, when he was out, they were bad. Thomas is a top 5 player at every secondary position in this draft. If they pair him with Troy at safety, they may be the best tandem in the league. If he plays corner, he could very well vie for rookie of the year. The difference between Thomas and Eric Berry is very small.

Signing Dunta was big for the Falcons who were victimized by the pass last year. Putting Mays behind him to patrol and play free safety would make it huge. He can run with nearly any receiver in the leagues and hits like a linebacker. He needs to get coached up a bit, but the potential is...well....Sean Taylor v. 2.0.

Losing Dunta Robinson makes CB a priority. Kyle Wilson is a shutdown corner, he locked up every receiver he saw last year. You can't play the Colts twice a year without quality corners, so the texans have to have him.

Iupati is a mauler at guard. He has very good speed and drive for a lineman, and regularly gets to the second level on his blocks. Assuming Andre Smith shows up as himself this year, putting Iupati beside him makes their offensive line scary...potentially.

If he had stayed healthy, Dunlap may have been fighting for a top 10 spot this offseason. The Gator defense was not the same without him in it, and we all saw how good it was this year. He has the size and speed to play any of the outside positions in the 3-4, and the Patriots have a need at DE with the loss of Jarvis Green. Dunlap is perfect for them....damnit.

The Packers gambled last year by not picking up depth at OT and it killed them. They need to have depth to keep Aaron Rodgers alive. Campbell is raw, but his measurables are amazing. They will need to coach him up, but the only thing that will keep him from being a Pro Bowl LT is him.

The Eagles though they were set with one Andrews at Tackle and the other at Guard. Well, the one at Guard just got cut. Pouncey can play all 3 interior line spots at a high level, with the age of their line, that flexibility will mean a lot to Philly.

The Ravens love to draft unique athletes for their defense. Weatherspoon is a freak at linebacker. A multi-year starter and star in the Big 12, very few backers can run and hit like him. Additionally after playing in a pass-happy conference, he is good in coverage too. A very solid pick to give the linebacking corp an injection of youth. If they can get Adalius to come back, they will be loaded.

The Cowboys have 2 needs: Offensive Line and Safety. Ducassd is a raw, but talented lineman with big time potential. He could help at guard now and should develop into a solid tackle. There is some question if his footwork will be good enough for left tackle, but he is mauler and right tackle is a pretty safe bet.

After trading Antonio Cromartie, the Chargers should look at another Nole to fill in at corner. Robinson does not have Cromartie's size, but he does have his speed and, arguably, better coverage skills. He is also more ready coming into the league after starting for multiple years in Tallahasee.

The Vikings are loaded and Hughes is the best player on the board. He can play either OLB or DE and is a big time pass rusher. They will look to move him to OLB where they have had some unfortunate injuries and draft misses over the past few years.

The Colts rush defense got exposes in the playoffs. Their defense is improving, but they need more meat up the middle so that that they speed linebackers can run sideline to sideline. Dan Williams has nosetackle size with big-time athleticism. He should be an instant upgrade for the Indy rush defense.

Great Hardy is a big time DE talent. He is huge, and talented, and missed the boat a bit by coming back for his senior year. He would have gone 10 picks earlier last year, at minimum. A steal for the Saints who are rebuilding a big along their front 7.